It is known in the automotive industry to provide vehicles with a body side-feature known as a rocker panel. The rocker panel is generally presented as the outer edge of the vehicle's underbody, and may serve as additional structural support to the vehicle.
As a portion of the rocker panel forms an exterior surface of the vehicle, aesthetics are considered in the rocker panel design. For example, in many instances, the rocker panel is formed with a Class “A” surface, and/or may be subject to additional finishing treatments such as chrome plating or painting.
More recently, improved vehicle performance, mainly in respect of ground effects and aerodynamics has prompted the introduction of new rocker panel designs, some of which now extend outwardly of the vehicle body, and which in some instances results in a larger overall configuration compared to flat panel designs of previous generations.
With the newer configurations, alternative construction methodologies are being considered, for example forming rocker panels from polymeric materials. As such, there exists a need for novel and improved constructions processes to product automotive products, for example rocker panels using alternative materials such as plastics.